The
Terrible Old Man
The Terrible Old Man is perhaps one of
the better early works of Lovecraft. It hardly connects to the Mythos except to
introduce the fictional town of Kingsport. It is Lovecraft’s emergence into the
crime genre and he pulls it off rather well. Painting a picture of a dark seedy
town filled with unlikable characters who seek to prey on the seemingly
unguarded fortunes of an old man no one likes having around.
Every kid had one of these old men
growing up (whether they were real or just the workings of an active childhood
imagination). There was always that one house with that solitary old man that
no one talked to, and no one hardly saw. Even the normal everyday tasks of this
mysterious stranger at the end of the block took on hints of the sinister. The
terrible old man takes things a few steps further, as his lawn is decorated
with archaic ritual stones and he is often spied through the window talking to
objects floating in dusty old jars.
At this point I can’t help but to
imagine a group of curious children peeking through the cracks of boarded up
windows and catching sight of the disturbed old man talking to hideous
creatures, preserved but not dead in vats of darkening formaldehyde. A sight
that would forever etch itself into the impressionable psyche of the poor young
children.
A group of criminals (sadly Lovecraft
once again must paint us a picture that only immigrants can form such a vile
group of individuals) take notice that the old man pays for his goods with
silver and gold and not the usual US tender. They make a plan to steal his
horded fortunes. But of course this being Lovecraft, the old man is not merely
strange but that truly darker forces are at work in him.
You can read the full text here: HPL’sThe Terrible Old Man
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| Illustration by Jeff Powers © 2012 |
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